BLUGLASS APPOINTS JIM HADEN AS CEO

Highlights

  • BluGlass has appointed President Jim Haden to the role of Chief Executive Officer
  • The Company has transformed under Mr Haden’s leadership and is now poised for growth
    • Acquired its own advanced laser production fab in Silicon Valley
    • Launched its first gallium nitride (GaN) lasers
    • Secured first customer orders

Global semiconductor developer BluGlass Limited (ASX: BLG) advises President Jim Haden has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr Haden joined BluGlass as President in September 2021.

As President, Mr Haden has brought BluGlass’ GaN laser technology to market, significantly improving laser performance and reliability to successfully launch its first suite of products and secure initial customer orders. Mr Haden was instrumental in the acquisition of a purpose-built laser production fab, which is enabling BluGlass to vertically integrate its downstream manufacturing processes, expedite development and production, and improve laser quality while reducing manufacturing costs.

Mr Haden is an industry veteran with more than three decades’ laser expertise and a proven track record transitioning advanced technology businesses to profitable, high-growth commercial entities. He has held senior leadership positions at several of BluGlass’ potential customers and competitors, including Kyocera SLD, nLight, Coherent and JDS Uniphase (now Lumentum).

Commenting on the appointment BluGlass Chair James Walker said, “Jim’s technical expertise, industry network, and commercialisation know-how has been instrumental in transforming BluGlass from our R&D origins to a commercial provider of GaN lasers. Our technical and commercial progress since his appointment cannot be overstated. We are now a genuine player in a fast-growing market with very few competitors and high barriers to entry. Our unique value proposition caters to our customers’ biggest challenges and feedback on our newly launched products has reaffirmed we have the right team and strategy in place to become a market leader. As CEO, Jim will have greater operational control across our three production facilities in Sydney, Silicon Valley, and Nashua and will be responsible for the continued transition to revenue generation and sustainability.”

BluGlass CEO Jim Haden said, “I’m incredibly proud of BluGlass’ achievements over the past 18 months and am honoured to be leading a highly talented and innovative team to commercialise truly disruptive laser technology, in rapidly growing markets. I’m looking forward to driving BluGlass’ continued growth and transformation, as we leverage our innovative product portfolio and deliver exceptional value for customers, shareholders, and our staff.”

The full announcement is available to download here:

Jim Haden appointed CEO

BluGlass logo
About BluGlass

Developing leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing technology and devices for more than a decade, BluGlass Limited (ASX:BLG) is a leading supplier of GaN laser diode products to the global photonics industry, focused on the industrial, defence, bio-medical, and scientific markets.

Listed on the ASX, BluGlass is one of just a handful of end-to-end GaN laser manufacturers globally. Its operations in Australia and the USA offer cutting-edge, custom laser diode development and manufacturing, from small-batch custom lasers to medium and high-volume off-the-shelf products.

The Company combines its proprietary low temperature, low hydrogen, remote plasma chemical vapour deposition (RPCVD) manufacturing process with advanced device design and fabrication to deliver differentiated laser solutions. With end-to-end capabilities spanning epitaxy, device design, fabrication, and testing, BluGlass is well-positioned to support critical next-generation photonics applications and sovereign supply chains.

For more information, please contact:

Stefanie Winwood
+61293342300 |swinwood@bluglass.com
Jasmine Walters, Automic Markets
+61498209019 |jasmine.walters@automicgroup.com.au
Samuel Samhan, BluGlass CFO
ssamhan@bluglass.com